The women's 100 metres sprint event at the 1936 Olympic Games took place on 3 and 4 August. The final was won by American Helen Stephens. Some Eastern European (especially Polish) journalists suggested she might be a man. Besides Stephens, the silver medalist, Stanisà Âawa Walasiewicz, had also faced accusations of being a male imposter. The International Olympic Committee performed a physical check on Stephens and concluded that she was a woman.